The Iron Duke

To preface this review, this is the seventh book I have received for an honest review from Galaxy Audio. While they all generally have the same feel to them, my enjoyment does vary.

The Iron Duke was definitely one of the better ones. Blacky Lee and is awesomely named sidekick, Stub, are wanted by most European governments. On the run from Nazis, they end up in Aldoria (does that even exist?) where Blacky begins to impersonate the monarch, while Communists try to take over.

Most (I can't say all because I haven't read all) of Hubbard's stories take place in a specific time and place. While the stories themselves are generally formulaic in terms of classic pulp fiction tropes, they are almost always 'current', whether in dealing with show more Chino-Japanese War, the beginnings of World War II, French-occupation and conflict in Northern Africa, and this one, dealing with communism before World War II. It's really quite fascinating to gain a small understanding of how perhaps American attitudes towards these events would be through the consumption of these stories.

Because at the core of it, these stories are definitely American. Blacky fills the billet for the clever, handsome, and masculine hero. The way this and the other stories are written are that the Americans are generally the ones in the right, while the strangeness of the other nationalities generally veer towards being morally questionable.

Putting my shoddy analysis rant aside, I really liked this story for its take on politics. It was less 'action-packed', guns-blaring than the others. There was a real question in the middle of it which made it compelling. And while I could easily question the romance part of it by putting my twenty-first feminist hat on, I won't. Because that's completely unfair to the story. It is what it is, and that is an enjoyable story with great production value.

And the actor for Stub was great. show less

Pulp fiction, with its non-stop adventure, absurd narrative coincidences, and clipped, hard-boiled dialogue, can be grand fun. Unfortunately, The Iron Duke is a snoozer, but Hubbard is a decent writer. A non-Ruritanian setting might prove more interesting.

Still, one feels that the whole enterprise is just trumped up Church of Scientology recruitment. The Iron Duke is recommended for pulp fiction diehards or Hubbard completists. Take the supplemental materials with a grain of salt.

“The Iron Duke” by L. Ron Hubbard is a quite enjoyable read. It is rather short (only 70 pages), but the tale moves well. It concerns an American con man, who bears a remarkable resemblance to the reigning Duke of a small Balkan country. Much to-and-fro-ing ensues, and by the end the people (but not the Communists) decide that they prefer the con man to the real duke. And he gets the girl.

There is nothing wrong here, but the tale has been told before, and better. “The Prisoner of Zenda” by Hope and “The Mad King” by Burroughs come easily to mind, among others. And at $9.95 for such a small book, one is forced to decide against this tale.

As a contemporary work from the golden age of pulp fiction, I have no idea if this is a good, fair or poor example. It certainly reflects the anxiety of the time period--political, social and moral conflicts are brought to play in a climate of uncertainty. The conflict of democracy vs communism; social status and ethical business practices all play a role in helping to move this story from pure fantasy to something less than literature.

As pure entertainment, it hasn't held up to time very well. At best, it resembles a B-movie staring Abbot and Costello with a main character somewhat resembling a suave James Bond fused with an Al Capone mentality. The story line is linear and highly improbable, characterization is mono-dimensional, and show more the prose lacks everything you would expect to find in a well thought out novel or short story. I love adventure stories but this is doesn't come close to anything representing the best that this time period or any other has to offer. I had no empathy with any of the characters or the implausibility of the story line. I had the most sympathy for the one character who never made an appearance or said even one line--the drunk Arch Duke. If I were him, I'd probably take the money and run. show less

In the Thirties and Forties of the 20th Century Pulp Fiction (and the capitals are intended) was king. Short, well written, filled with adventure, and best of all, spanned almost every genre imaginable. It suffered from sneers of the literati who wanted their books to be lengthy, dense and unapproachable by the “masses.” Fortunately Pulp Fiction did not suffer fools gladly and continued providing wonderful entertainment to millions of all ages. It was, at the basic level, the short story format, which in itself has frequently been said to “be lost to this generation.” Another fleering comment and was untrue then and is now. In fact, in this day and age of the Ebook read on your smart phone and YouTube shorts watched on your show more tablet the short story format is alive and well.

And The Iron Duke is a great way to become acquainted with those wonderful stories from the golden age of Pulp Fiction. Just 77 pages long and set in the 1930's, it captures the adventures of a delightful rascal, Blackie Lee, running from the Nazi’s. Escaping to the kingdom of Aldoria he discovers that he has a pronounced resemblance to the ruler of that little country. I am sure many of you are now thinking of that wonderful story “The Prisoner of Zenda” as well you should. Mix in the evil genius named Balchard, a lovely Countess Zita, and of course, a bumbling sidekick named Stub the plot whirls along. Blackie has his work cut out for him what with undermining a Communist plot (yes, the communists were a threat even back then) to rig elections, prevent the real Iron Duke (a drunk dissolute sort of fellow) from ruining lovely Aldoria and, as is essential in such stories, win the Countess’ heart but perhaps not her hand. All of this in 77 pages!

The book also has a very good biography of L. Ron Hubbard who, in my mind, is a true polymath. I have not seen the other books in the series but I suspect that each of them will contain the same information so I will not bore you with details except to say even this is fascinating reading.

So how can you not buy this book? Well if you hate adventure stories, want your reading material to be lengthy and verbose and find romance to be beneath you don’t buy it. Otherwise join us in celebrating the return of the short story and dive in. I must warn you though: it is addictive! show less

Thanks to LibraryThing for awarding me this book through its giveaway!

The Story.

Blacky Lee is on the run – and the people tailing him don’t plan to throw him a party when they find him. They want his blood; his blood, and the blood of his sidekick, Stub. There’s only one thing for it… Illegal entry into Aldoria!

Blacky didn’t pick Aldoria randomly – he knows that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Phillip, Archduke of Aldoria, and plans to impersonate him if pressed. But the citizens are one step ahead of him – they are more than ready to bow down and serve Blacky. All, that is, except the Countess Zita.

The Countess is irate with him for having “left” his home and insists on returning him there. Blacky demurs, so show more she uses her guard to take him back. There Blacky must confront the real Philip. If he lives long enough, that is…

Will anyone believe Blacky’s claims? Or will he and Stub be tossed out to the dogs who are chasing them?

Discussion.

The Iron Duke was definitely a member of its genre. As a pulp story, it featured snappy descriptions and abrupt dialogue and focused mainly on the dare devil-osity [:)] of Blacky Lee. I enjoyed this – a little stereotypical adventure is fun – but I would have enjoyed it more had the characters been more developed, a few of their motives explained, and a little suspense thrown in. The story was short – only 77 pages – and I think that were it to be expanded, it would have big potential. As it is, it felt a little empty. Maybe if I had been expecting a short story (as opposed to a novel) I could have enjoyed it more.

All of that said, I really enjoyed the ending. For most of the story, Blacky Lee played the part of a mercenary cad who was willing to sell out to the highest bidder, however, in the last few pages, we realize that at least part of this was a blind. He displayed more uprightness of character in the last few pages than I thought he possessed.

This quote sums up the whole book. It comes from Stub, Blacky’s sidekick.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re always telling me how lucky I am to be alive,” sighed Stub. “You pull me through hell and high dives with one of your ideas, and then when we escape on the razor edge of execution you tell me how lucky I am! I’m not complaining, you understand, but sometimes I think my nerves just won’t stand it anymore. Tonight we should have been dining with generals and getting paid real money, but here we are, on a train without tickets, in a country which we didn’t enter legally, without so much as an Aldorian dime or a forged birth certificate!” [pg. 7]

:]

One last note – as I neared the middle of The Iron Duke, I was disappointed in what I perceived to be a blatant rip-off of The Prisoner of Zenda. While the circumstances were different, all of the same elements were there – the main character, through a freak in lineage, is identical to the ruler of Aldoria. He arrives in Aldoria and is hailed as its ruler. He meets the Countess Zita who, though she detests the real Philip, Archduke of Aldoria, is immediately attracted to the imposter. However, from thence onward, the plot diverged, and it ended quite differently from The Prisoner of Zenda.

Conclusion. Exciting and nostalgic, The Iron Duke is a galloping-fun read.

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www.blitheringbookster.com show less

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Librarything and let me just say that I adored it and I thank very much whoever was responsible for it! :)

First, I am going to start by saying that the narration was spectacular. The acting was so realistic and entertaining that it was hard to stop listening to it.

Now to the plot! "The Iron Duke" is about a man named Blacky Lee who is a scoundrel, but at the same time, a charming and tricky man. He gets into trouble with the government because he impersonates a member of the monarchy that looks a lot like him. The story is pretty much about him trying to figure out a way to "save his skin." If I had to choose a word to describe the ending, it would probably be CUTE!!! (and also completely show more charming).

The main characters that complemented the plot were;

Countess Zita; She is a strong headed woman who intimidates most men. She is 26 years old and hasn't marry yet because she hasn't found the man who can be her equal on an intellectual level.

Stub Doyle; This is by far my favorite character. He is funny but loyal. He kind of reminds me of Sancho Panza from the famous book written by Miguel de Cervantes "Don Quixote." The acting voice gave this character a believable life and personality. I found myself laughing a bunch of times hearing him express his worries and doubts.

I feel like this book can be heard and read by everybody. Is entertaining and will keep you thinking about the characters and the book itself for a long time. I highly recommend it to people who like history (even if you don't) and wants to spend a great time submerged in a healthy and transcendental tale of an antihero's moral change.

Sincerely,

Stub's new fan!!! show less